Ok, so we got a newish puppy a week ago. She's 4-5 months old. (rat terrier) Here is her no so good pics..

Anyway, at 4-5 months old, there are certain things I expect from a puppy. I expect them to
A: be able to potty outside (not that they won't have an accident, but they should at least have the hang of it)
B: know at least how to sit and to walk on a leash
C: know that nipping is NOT okay.
So this puppy... can potty outside... and nothing else.
ARG. She was raised in a home with another dog and 4 children from 4 years old and up. She nips, she will bite, she has no clue what sit means, she won't walk on a leash and definitely won't potty on a leash, she isn't crate trained. Oh yea.. and she only had her first set of shots. Woopiee!
yipe.
Now, I don't expect her to know my rules, like.. DONT LAY ON MY CLEAN LAUNDRY.
However, I REALLY hate it when people don't do simple training with puppies. That is EXACTLY how they end up in a shelter. Now, they gave this puppy up because they were "moving and couldn't take their dogs with them". Why buy a puppy when you know you will be moving soon? Anyway, I guarantee that if someone else who wasn't puppy savvy, and expecially rat terrier savvy had gotten her, she would have ended up in the pound. No one wants a puppy that nips and bites and won't walk on a leash. The vet recites the same puppy info to everyone that walks into the door with one.. crate train them because they will feel more secure and you'll have an easier time potty training them, play with their ears, play with their feet, play with their mouths, flip them over on their backs and rub their tummies, use positive rewards to teach them how to do simple obedience... bla bla bla.. Anyway, it isn't that hard. Also, being a rat terrier, she doen't have much of a chance anyway. It takes a special kind of person to deal with the terrier neurotics and not everyone is prepared for how energetic and easily excitible they are. They want a cute, cuddly puppy to carry around in their purses, and rat terriers.. they want to play tug of war, and chase the cat, and chew the ball, and .. o WAIT what is THAT I MUST go check it out.. was my owner calling me... o well cause this is more interesting.
Not that they won't cuddle.
Here's another thing that drives me nuts. You might have read my horrible Christmas thread with three dogs from hell? Well, that all drives me insane.
My MIL will NOT neuter their 3 dachshunds. She will also not disipline them. So, you have 3 un-neutered males allowed to do whatever they want, including marking their territory, humping each other (and other household items as well as people), and showing aggressive behavior toward anyone. In order:
Their oldest- 8 year old un-neutered male. Will hump anything that moves. Has severe breathing problems. Has dislocated his back before. Will mark his territory including PEOPLE. Will break into cabinets to get food (or bark continuously, or scratch, or even nip). Will grab food off of plates if they are low enough. Will not let you pick him up (he will break skin) and yea.. that includes the vet.
Their second- 3 year old un-neutered male, who they didn't bother to get registered but are open to the idea of breeding him. Has a crooked back that will probably cause problems. Has a parasite problem with his ears. Still not potty trained. Will hump other dogs but not people. WILL jump on the kitchen table to get food.
Their third- 1 year, un-neutered, been through at LEAST 3 homes and discarded because he was "unwanted". Is a fear biter. Will nip, bark aggressivly, not walk on a leash, not potty outside, will shread anything he can get his teeth on.
Well, you get the picture. Anyway, the answer for all bad behavior is to give them a treat to distract them. YEA. That's right. OH don't bark aggressivly.. here's a treat. Don't bite.. here's a treat. Don't potty there.. here's a treat. ARG.
Anyway, just had to get that out. Anyone else had experience retraining puppies gone wild?

Anyway, at 4-5 months old, there are certain things I expect from a puppy. I expect them to
A: be able to potty outside (not that they won't have an accident, but they should at least have the hang of it)
B: know at least how to sit and to walk on a leash
C: know that nipping is NOT okay.
So this puppy... can potty outside... and nothing else.
ARG. She was raised in a home with another dog and 4 children from 4 years old and up. She nips, she will bite, she has no clue what sit means, she won't walk on a leash and definitely won't potty on a leash, she isn't crate trained. Oh yea.. and she only had her first set of shots. Woopiee!
yipe.
Now, I don't expect her to know my rules, like.. DONT LAY ON MY CLEAN LAUNDRY.
However, I REALLY hate it when people don't do simple training with puppies. That is EXACTLY how they end up in a shelter. Now, they gave this puppy up because they were "moving and couldn't take their dogs with them". Why buy a puppy when you know you will be moving soon? Anyway, I guarantee that if someone else who wasn't puppy savvy, and expecially rat terrier savvy had gotten her, she would have ended up in the pound. No one wants a puppy that nips and bites and won't walk on a leash. The vet recites the same puppy info to everyone that walks into the door with one.. crate train them because they will feel more secure and you'll have an easier time potty training them, play with their ears, play with their feet, play with their mouths, flip them over on their backs and rub their tummies, use positive rewards to teach them how to do simple obedience... bla bla bla.. Anyway, it isn't that hard. Also, being a rat terrier, she doen't have much of a chance anyway. It takes a special kind of person to deal with the terrier neurotics and not everyone is prepared for how energetic and easily excitible they are. They want a cute, cuddly puppy to carry around in their purses, and rat terriers.. they want to play tug of war, and chase the cat, and chew the ball, and .. o WAIT what is THAT I MUST go check it out.. was my owner calling me... o well cause this is more interesting.
Here's another thing that drives me nuts. You might have read my horrible Christmas thread with three dogs from hell? Well, that all drives me insane.
My MIL will NOT neuter their 3 dachshunds. She will also not disipline them. So, you have 3 un-neutered males allowed to do whatever they want, including marking their territory, humping each other (and other household items as well as people), and showing aggressive behavior toward anyone. In order:
Their oldest- 8 year old un-neutered male. Will hump anything that moves. Has severe breathing problems. Has dislocated his back before. Will mark his territory including PEOPLE. Will break into cabinets to get food (or bark continuously, or scratch, or even nip). Will grab food off of plates if they are low enough. Will not let you pick him up (he will break skin) and yea.. that includes the vet.
Their second- 3 year old un-neutered male, who they didn't bother to get registered but are open to the idea of breeding him. Has a crooked back that will probably cause problems. Has a parasite problem with his ears. Still not potty trained. Will hump other dogs but not people. WILL jump on the kitchen table to get food.
Their third- 1 year, un-neutered, been through at LEAST 3 homes and discarded because he was "unwanted". Is a fear biter. Will nip, bark aggressivly, not walk on a leash, not potty outside, will shread anything he can get his teeth on.
Well, you get the picture. Anyway, the answer for all bad behavior is to give them a treat to distract them. YEA. That's right. OH don't bark aggressivly.. here's a treat. Don't bite.. here's a treat. Don't potty there.. here's a treat. ARG.
Anyway, just had to get that out. Anyone else had experience retraining puppies gone wild?
